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The title for the sixth album from Josh Tillman, aka Father John Misty, is very much on-brand for the poster boy of soft rock. Mahashmashana is an anglicisation of the Sanskrit word for the “great cremation ground” encountered before death, symbolising the cycle of life. You may eye-roll at a Western musician choosing such a title. But, frustratingly, it is the perfect word to embody the eight-track album. Mahashmashana’s 52 minutes pick you up, wrap you in soaring orchestral arrangements effused with soft-jazz melodies and deposit you at the end ready to start the journey all over again. With tongue firmly in cheek, this could be Tillman’s best flexing of his lyrical muscles yet. As he croons, he stabs at the ashtray like it might give up the truth. The only problem with Mahashmashana? You can’t avoid sounding like a twit recommending it. Although you can almost hear Tillman smirking at the thought.
